Chronic Fatigue Immune Deficiency Syndrome or Chronic Fatigue Syndrome (CFIDS/CFS) is a condition that is characterized by incapacitating fatigue (experienced as profound exhaustion and extremely poor stamina) and problems with concentration and short-term memory. It is also accompanied by flu-like symptoms such as pain in the joints and muscles, unrefreshing sleep, tender lymph nodes, sore throat and headache. A distinctive characteristic of the illness is post-exertional malaise, a worsening of symptoms following physical or mental exertion occurring within 12-48 hours of the exertion and requiring an extended recovery period.
The symptoms of CFIDS are highly variable and fluctuate in severity, complicating treatment and the ill person’s ability to cope with the illness. Most symptoms are invisible, which makes it difficult for others to understand the vast array of debilitating symptoms with which people with the illness must contend1. Other symptoms are cognitive difficulties, atypical reactions to medication, low-grade fevers and/or lower than normal body temperature, sensory sensitivity, shortness of breath, insomnia and hypersomnia (not uncommonly together), and a wide variety of others. People with CFIDS often have several co-morbid conditions, such as dysautonomia (dysregulation of the autonomic nervous system), irritable bowel syndrome, migraines, chronic pelvic pain issues, chronic sinusitis and allergies, Raynaud's Phenomenon (a circulation problem particularly in the extremities), and others.
Contrary to popular belief (even among medical professionals), not all CFIDS is associated with mononucleosis, or the Epstein-Barr virus. Most people with EBV levels in their blood do not have CFIDS, and many people with CFIDS have little to no EBV levels in their blood. CFIDS has been shown to onset after physical trauma (accidents, surgery), illnesses of many kinds (sinus infections, mono, unknown viral infections, bacterial infections), and childbirth. Often though, symptoms appear with no preceding event, and there is no evidence that any one particular event causes CFIDS. Although a sudden onset to symptoms is more common, that does not rule out a gradual onset to symptoms.
People with CFIDS have the same levels of depression and anxiety as other people who suffer from a chronic illness. Pre-CFIDS, there is not a higher prevalence of psychiatric disorders then in the general population. Research has shown several detectable abnormalities in CFIDS patients including immunological dysfunction, dysautonomia, dysfunction of the Hypothalamic-Pituitary-Adrenal axis, accelerated loss of grey brain matter, and other neurological difficulties2. Approximately 55% of CFIDS patients meet the diagnostic criteria for fibromyalgia as well.
1. CFIDS Association of America, Symptoms page (http://www.cfids.org/about-cfids/symptoms.asp)
2. Co-cure CFS and Fibromyalgia Information Exchange Forum, CFS-FAQ, Question 1.03 (http://www.cfs-news.org/faq.htm#1C). This has a list of just some of the many studies that show objective evidence of abnormalities in CFIDS patients.
